Yingluck supporters fined for staring at prosecutors

Two supporters of former premier Yingluck Shinawatra were fined yesterday in a contempt-of-court case involving public prosecutors.
They were found guilty and fined Bt500 each by the Supreme Court’s criminal division for holders of political office.
Public prosecutors told the court that they had been harassed on court premises by Mingmongkol Sonakul and Thas Wanphraruehas on October 7, 2016, at a hearing in the case against the former premier. 
Yingluck is facing trial for alleged negligence of her official duties while implementing the controversial rice-pledging scheme during her administration.
Mingmongkol is a movie director, while Thas was a former House subcommittee member during Yingluck’s tenure in office.
Mingmongkol and Thas had told the court that they stared at public prosecutors after the court session prior to a lunch break but did not take photographs as alleged by the plaintiffs. 
The court found that they had stared at the prosecutors up-close unnecessarily while on court premises, and were therefore guilty. Because the act was considered light they were fined Bt500 each.
In the rice-pledging case, Yingluck is facing charges of negligence of official duty allegedly resulting in damages of more than Bt500 billion to state coffers. The former premier also faces a civil liability lawsuit in connection with the scheme.